Brockton shows are always worth checkin’ out. The 24th show had a smaller turn out than I usually see, but it didn’t stop kids from having a good time. Listen Up wasn’t necassarily one of my favorite acts, but they have the potential to be a really great band. The screaming was decent, but the music needs to be put together a little bit more. 40 Second Love Story did pretty well musically. As for performance, the singer was definately into his shit, but the rest of the band needs to move around a little more. Half of kids getting into the band is the band getting into themselves. All in all, it was a pretty good time. In Remembrance played a decent set, even though kids are still unsure of what to do with the new songs. In Our Blood, to put it simply, brings the mosh. I hate even saying that, but there is no better way to explain how intense their set is. The live show is something that shouldn’t be missed; they had an unbelievable reaction from everyone there. Black My Heart’s set was well put together, as always, getting everyone really pumped and into the music. I can’t say that I have ever seen them play a bad set. With pile-ons, a little bit of a light show, and guest appearances, it was really entertaining.

There will be pictures later.
-Lalz

Photograph by Robert Downs

There is a lot to be said for Boston’s power-pop band On The Surface. They’ve been a band since 2001, sharing the stage with bands like Simple Plan, Switchfoot, Mae, Piebald, and The Format. They’ve made it through everything a normal band goes through and then some. “Most bands write break-up songs, On The Surface lived one” (myspace bio). They made it through Heather and Anthony’s break up, and they’re going stronger than ever.

If you’re not into poppy bands, it might take a little to get used to On The Surface’s sound, but they’re so talented that they definitely deserve the chance. The things I love about OTS? Their keyboards fit the rest of the music. A lot of bands have keyboards that sound out of time, and un-necessary; but this is not the case with On The Surface. I love the dual vocals of Anthony and Heather. Above all, I love their stage show. Between Colby and Bill running around and Heather’s hip shakin’, I guarantee that you too will be impressed with this up and coming band. The crowd at Paper’s February 16th performance was definitely into the show. The band did a cover of The Postal Services “Such Great Heights” which allowed anyone and everyone to get involved. It was absolutely the right show for the band to film their DVD.

You can check out On The Surface on Myspace and on their web site.

-Lalz

Location: Boston
Genre: Rock
Label: Unsigned

Say When does exactly what they told you they were going to do; make you happy with their non threatening, catchy music. They’re a band with a basic sound that anyone can enjoy. This is a refreshing break from the typical screamo/hard core style that everyone is currently so taken with. I would suggest this music to anyone who wants to relax and have a good time. It isn’t complicated, and it won’t make your ears bleed. This band has potential to do great things with their music, they just need to reach out a little more.

Check them out for yourself on Myspace.

Upcoming shows: there are no shows currently listed for this band.

-Lalz

I’m still trying to set my head straight after tonight’s show at the ICC church in Allston. The line up included Lover Left You Bleeding, Verbana Darvell, Vanna, and the Number Twelve Looks Like You.

Lover Left You Bleeding is a “post hardcore” band from the Boston area. To be completely honest, I’ve never been a fan of LLYB. They put on an all right show, and I don’t personally think that their music is anything special. I guess I should give them credit for more than an all right show. The guitarists definitely give their set a little bit of flavor. Verbana Darvell is another “post hardcore” band, but they’re from Providence, Rhode Island. Front man Blaine started off by apologizing if he offended anyone (he was wearing an I Love New York shirt) because he didn’t realize he was “playing in Boston tonight”. While this was going on there was a girl in the back who appeared to be tuning her electric violin. Interesting. Suddenly, there was an extremely bright light facing the unsuspecting (and now unhappy) crowd. They began to play. They sound much better recorded than they do live, although that isn’t saying too much. I almost felt like they were trying to rip off Every Time I Die (vocally speaking), but they couldn’t quite do it. The violin added in (only in one song) made it sound a little more like a train wreck. I did however like the added effect of the lightshow and the brief use of the smoke machine. By the end of their set I almost felt like I was into it.

Vanna (Epitaph) took the stage. Despite being to many Vanna shows in the past, this was my first time seeing them. I previously reviewed the music posted on their myspace account for BLM, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the new song, but hearing it life made me want to like it…and at some point, I just may. Vanna has a lot of energy and they are pretty well put together. Musically, they were tight. They had a decent pile on during Dead Language for a Dying Lady. All in all, the crowd was very into the set; Vanna was in fact the first band that anyone really seemed to be into.

When The Number Twelve Looks Like You (from Bayville, New Jersey) was setting up, I’ll admit that I was nervous. I had been talking to a friend of mine, and he basically told me that Number Twelve is one of those bands that leaves you feeling like you don’t know what to think. When they started playing all I could think was “well this is definitely a new experience”. I absolutely wasn’t feeling it at all. They have this grindcore kind of sound, and I never could understand how kids just sat there and listened to that. Despite my dislike for the sound of the vocals and the thrashiness (there is no better word for it; sorry) of the music, I have to admit that they put on an excellent show. As the set went on I started thinking about the time an acquaintance of mine said he was tired of making intelligent music because no one understood it. Number Twelve’s music got better as the set went on. I wouldn’t necessarily say that they are a talented band, or that they’re a good band. I think that they have talented musicians that have a lot of potential to do a lot of great things. The guitars started getting a more technical, metal type of feel to them. One of the things I really liked about their set was the way the vocalists fed off of each other. There was a point when it appeared one vocalist was on his knees on the floor facing the other vocalist, who was holding himself up with one hand on the stage wall. They looked just as pained as they sounded. As I said before, I don’t think I would call Number Twelve a great band, or even a good band, but I do think that their show is worth seeing. Afterwards, I really just felt like “what just happened”, and I really wasn’t sure what I thought directly after. I still may not be entirely sure.

For more Mass Live Events shows check out their myspace.

I want to thank Reena and Eric of Mass Live Events for putting me on the guest list to this show, Jon Burke for helping me get there and back, and Vanna for being supportive of BLM.

-Lalz

Last night the United Methodist Church held a show featuring With No Remorse, The Neon Hookers, JAWS!, One Dead Three Wounded, In Remembrance, and On Broken Wings. Arriving late, I missed WNR, but I made it in time to see the Neon Hookers. The set went well, though there was little response from the crowd. Following TNH, JAWS! set up.

JAWS! is a band from New York, who apparently sat in traffic for hours to play the show; only to put on a terrible performance and cause trouble amongst the local kids. One of the kids that they brought with them slapped an innocent fifteen-year-old two-stepper in the face, causing Black My Heart front man Wheeler to intervene. Which led to adults at the show to intervene, followed by a swift beating from On Broken Wings front man Jon Blake to the New Yorker who started the trouble. Three cruisers arrived and remained outside for the majority of the show.

After much delay, One Dead Three Wounded put on an energetic show. The crowd was totally into it, and it was obvious that the band members were as well, judging by the smiles on their faces (strangely enough) while they were performing. In Remembrance followed with just as much energy, and one of the biggest responses from a crowd since members Brian O’Rourke and Keith Gentile came back from touring with Black My Heart. IR’s front man, Nick McElwain, took the stage looking a lot like a local hick with his flannel, fake mustache (matching O’Rourke’s real one), and “I Love Fucking” trucker hat (all of which were removed throughout the set). The performance went well for both the band and the audience. Finally, On Broken Wings took the stage. Blake made an announcement that included calling the New Yorkers out for un necessary violence towards other kids at shows and how that isn’t what it’s about. As always, everyone got really into the show, which makes perfect sense because OBW is easily one of the best local hardcore bands to see in Boston. They are however, also pretty dangerous to watch. One kid was hurt amongst the mosh and was taken to the hospital to have his minor injuries treated.

Despite the fights and injuries, the show was excellent overall.

Upcoming show:

January 22 American Legion, Nashua, NH. All Ages: Shattered Realm with Black My Heart, Only Revenge, Strength for a Reason, and Bring Your Own End.

For more info, check out Nashua Shows

-Lalz

The Cadence is an Emo/Indie band from the Boston area. While they’re a good band, it is very obvious what their influences are. From the start of both “Cross Your Fingers” and “A Hindrance to the Inquisitive” I immediately thought of The Receiving End of Sirens (Triple Crown Records), who is also a Boston local band. Everything about the Cadence, from the guitars to the vocals, sounds identical to TREOS; which certainly isn’t the worst band to sound like. The Cadence has their own touch with creative, catchy lyrics that are sure to make the AIM away messages and profiles of scene kids everywhere. They’re as clever as they are relatable, with music behind them that you can really fall into. After going to a couple of the Cadence’s shows, it’s safe to say the live performance is as captivating as their music, and they definitely deserve the attention that they get (and then some).

The Cadence is currently unsigned, and they are looking for a dedicated drummer.
Check them out on Myspace and Purevolume

-Lalz

So this band Gone Till November added me on myspace the other day, and by looking at the name I figured it would be another shitty emo/hardcore band from Arkansas that I wouldn’t care about. Then I saw that it was a rock band with a female singer. As a writer for Girl Punk.net this immediately sparked my interest, although I didn’t get my hopes up too high. For the most part, every band with a female singer has the same sounding voice and the same sounding music to back it up. Boy was I wrong with this one.

When “Goodbye Lullabye” started playing, my immediate thought was “wow, this girl doesn’t have the typical high pitch voice I’m sick of hearing.” Then I thought, this song really reminds me of Kelly Clarkson (who I do happen to like from time to time). There is nothing complicated about this song, but it’s so catchy and easy to relate to that it’s impossible not to like.

“California Acoustic” is exactly what the title implies; it is an acoustic song about going to California. Really, the song is about the dreams of warmth and happiness that everyone hopes to achieve in their life. What could be better than “sippin on Tequila” or “dancing in the sand” in the warmth of California’s sunny weather?

For every pop rock band there must be the desperately in love ballad, and it is no different for Gone Till November. The song “melt” expresses the heart wrenching need to be so close to someone that you feel like you could ‘melt’ into them.

The recording is also surprisingly good; honestly, it’s ready for radio.

Check them out on their myspace
-Lalz

One of Epitaph records newest signings is a band from Boston that goes by the name of Vanna. Other Epitaph bands include Hot Water Music, Motion City Soundtrack, and Some Girls (to name a few). After having a couple of conversations with the bands screamer, Joe Bragel, we decided that I would review the bands music with blatant honesty. So, here it goes.

In my opinion, Vanna is very much an emocore band. They have a mixture of screaming with melodic vocals, incorporated with catchy guitar riffs. Their lyrics are as bloody as they are heartfelt (at least on This Will Be Our Little Secret), While it isn’t something I would consider overly heavy, I can see a wide variety of kids getting into their music regardless, which is probably what Epitaph was thinking as well.

“Dead Language For a Dying Lady” has a perfect balance of singing and screaming (the two layer each other more than they switch off) with the catchy ending of melodic gang vocals, which allows the kids at their shows to really get into the song. This is easily my favorite of the three songs. It brings more focus onto the singing, which is clear and steady, and (dare I say) pretty. The screaming is a good backing, but it isn’t strong enough to be really predominant in their music, although they try to spotlight it in their new song “Heavens to Betsy”. Through this song, it appears that they are trying to stray from the clean vocals to move towards a heavier, harder sound. “I Am the Wind” is a lot more like “Dead Language” with a feel that is similar to Funeral For A Friend (Ferret/Atlantic Records).

Vanna has the potential to do great things with their music, and they are well on their way to reaching it in full. They’re definitely worth giving a listen to. Check them out on their myspace account, give them some feedback, and check out their shows section and show them your support.

-Lalz